"If a doctor or a CPR expert is in the store, please come to the mezzanine."
Elbows have been known to fly in Zabar's lox line, but this was different. A sixtyish man lay on his back by the coffee-maker display. "No pulse," said a dark-haired woman holding his wrist. Another shopper, blonde and elegant, knelt over the man and pressed her palms firmly into his chest. A third woman breathed into his mouth.
Just then, the PA blared: "Shoppers, we've got an incredible deal in our cheese department on French Boursin."
"I have a pulse," said the dark-haired woman. The man's chest shuddered, and his eyeballs rolled into place. Firemen with rescue equipment arrived and looked at the seemingly stable victim. Then they eyed the three women. "Who are you?" asked a fireman. "CPR practitioner," said the first. "Respiratory therapist," said the second. "Radiologist," said the third. The firemen seemed impressed.
So did the store manager. "If you got to have a heart attack," he said, looking relieved, "it's smart to have it at Zabar's."
Email
Print
Eight Year-End Films Vie for Oscar Contention
Sondheim and Lansbury on a Lifetime in Theater
The Black Keys Release Their Hip-hop Debut 
How the BQE Became an Artistic Muse
On Great Jones Street, Shopping Is Art 
Classic Fare, Old-world Charm at Le Caprice
Buy a Brownstone for Less Than $1 Million
Fifty of the City's Tastiest Soups
Reasons to Love New York 2009
New York Politicians Refuse to Quit
A-Rod Has Babe Ruth in His Sights
McCain Yields to the Party's Pressure
